We, at Heifer International, applaud the choice of ECPAT International as this years winner. The exploitation of children is reprehensible and we join our fellow laureate in taking action to end the horrors inflicted on children around the world, said Pierre Ferrari, President and CEO of Heifer International.

This marks the 18th year of the Hilton foundations award of $1.5 million, the largest of its kind, to an organization that is significantly alleviating human suffering. Heifer International was awarded the prize in 2004.

As Hilton Humanitarian Prize recipients, ECPAT and Heifer are also members of The Laureates Collaborative, an independent alliance of winners collectively working together in areas of sustainable development and human rights.

About Heifer International:Heifer Internationals mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Since 1944, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in more than 40 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self-reliant. For more information, visit www.heifer.org, read our blog, follow us on Facebookor Twitter, or call 1-800-696-1918.

About the Hilton Prize:The 2013 Hilton Prize will be presented at the annual Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Symposium at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on October 23, 2013. The Hilton Symposium gathers policymakers and leaders in the humanitarian field to address the most challenging issues facing the billions of people who make up the worlds most vulnerable populations.

About ECPAT International: ECPAT International is a global network of organizations dedicated to ending the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). ECPAT focuses on the three key manifestations of CSEC; child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. ECPAT began as a regional campaign in 1990 after researchers at a tourism consultation in Thailand first exposed the degree to which the prostitution of children was growing in parts of Asia. Today, the ECPAT network is comprised of an International Secretariat based in Thailand, together with 81 member organizations in 74 countries. For more information, please visit www.ecpat.net.